Road Trip Planning| Miles Kms | Item | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0 0.0 |
Junction Utah Highways US 191 and SR 279 Potash Road |
Eastern end of Utah Highway SR 279 Potash Road - Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway at mile marker 129.9 on US 191 and 4.1 miles north of downtown Moab, Utah or 27.3 miles south of Exit 180 on I-70.
The road immediately crosses Moab Canyon Wash and then continues southwesterly along the base of the cliffs of Moab Valley, Utah toward The Portal, where the Colorado River leaves the valley. - For highway travel north or south via U.S. Highway #191 - See Milebymile.com U.S. Highway #191 - Utah Road Map Travel Guide
Arizona/Utah State Line to Crescent Junction for driving directions.
|
| 0.3 0.5 |
Railway Tunnel |
The tracks of a spur of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad that comes in from the north, enter a long tunnel above the road to the west. The other end of this tunnel appears farther down this road at mile marker 9.8. |
| 1.2 1.9 |
Scott Matheson Wetlands Preserve |
Owned by The Nature Conservancy and situated in the swampland on the south side of the Colorado River. |
| 2.7 4.3 |
The Portal, Utah |
The road enters the long and deep gorge of the Colorado River. |
| 3.6 5.8 |
Portal Overlook Trailhead |
Hiking trail leading to panoramic views of the Moab Valley, Utah the La Sal Mountains, the Colorado River and The Portal. |
| 3.9 6.3 |
JayCee, Utah Park Recreation Site |
Public campsite.
|
| 4.2 6.8 |
Wall Street |
The cliffs along this stretch of the river are popular with rockclimbers. |
| 4.9 7.9 |
Indian Writings |
Most of the petroglyphs were done by Indians of the Southern San Rafael Fremont culture, which flourished between 600 A.D. and 1300 A.D. |
| 5.0 8.0 |
Indian Writings |
Another panel with a.o. the famous Bear Petroglyph. |
| 5.6 9.0 |
Poison Spider Mesa Trail - Dinosaur Tracks |
The Poison Spider Mesa off-highway vehicle trail angles off to the right. Dinosaur tracks are visible on slabs above the trailhead. On the other side of the river, a lofty arch span is clearly visible near the top of the cliff. |
| 8.7 14.0 |
The American Eagle Rock |
An immense sandstone figure on the skyline to the left front. The eagle's wings are spread and its tail is flared. |
| 9.3 15.0 |
Moki Canyon |
Access to the terraces above the road and at the base of vertical cliffs. Interesting rockhounding opportunities in ancient river gravel. |
| 9.8 15.8 |
Corona Arch - Bowtie Arch - Gold Bar Arch |
Trailhead. Corona Arch, with an opening of 140 by 105 foot, is also known as Little Rainbow because of its resemblance to Rainbow Bridge at Lake Powell. The D&RGW Railroad comes out of the cut that has been blasted in the sandstone and the tunnel opening is out of sight around the bend. |
| 9.9 15.9 |
Gold Bar, Utah Recreation Site |
Picnic and campground area. |
| 10.0 16.1 |
Culvert Canyon - Gold Bar Canyon |
Access to spectacular canyon hiking and Jeep Arch. |
| 11.5 18.5 |
Day Canyon |
Deep and narrow Day Canyon offers spectacular hiking. Bull Canyon drains into Day Canyon over a magnificent pouroff about 1 mile up the canyon. |
| 13.3 21.4 |
Jughandle Arch, Utah |
The smooth, heavily desert-varnished cliff opposite Jughandle Arch is known as The Billboard. |
| 13.5 21.7 |
Long Canyon Road |
Off-highway vehicle road connecting with Dead Horse Mesa Road (Utah State # 313)into Dead Horse Point State Park and Canyonlands, Utah National Park - Island in the Sky District. The road is always rough and steep at Pucker Pass. An arch opening is visible in the left abutment of the canyon. |
| 15.2 24.5 |
Potash Plant |
The Potash Scenic Byway SR 279 ends here at the Potash Plant. Various salts are mined from deep beneath the crust of the earth, then concentrated by evaporation in ponds that the Potash Trail (see below) circumnavigates several miles beyond the end of this road. The concentrated brine and salt slurry is then transported to the refining mill (Potash Plant) where the potash mineral (used primarily as a chemical fertilizer) is separated from the sodium chloride (table salt). The Potash Trail that continues downriver beyond this point is paved for another 1.5 miles to the Potash Boat Ramp. The Potash Trail joins the White Rim Trail and the Shafer Trail in Canyonlands National Park. The steep Shafer Trail switchbacks, bringing you to the Island in the Sky District and the Dead Horse Mesa Scenic Byway SR 313 (see separate road map log), are 12 miles ahead. End of Road Map Travel Guide. -e |